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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Thank You

I didn't win tonight but I did everything I possibly could to move forward my ideas for the district. Congratulations to Maureen Bowers, who is a great asset to the board, I'm glad she won reelection. Rev. Childs is someone I have a tremendous amount of respect for, if I had not run there would be no question he would of been one of the three that I supported. I'm confident in Childs' abilities and know he will do great things. I don't know Pam Boyle but I think her intentions are genuine and I wish her the best of luck.

It was a very low turn out and very anti-district, I'm sorry that the budget failed and that Rev.Coston lost his seat on the board. Obviously people are struggling and simply can't afford the rising costs of fuel and taxes, and this was their way of letting everyone know. I hope that fundamental programs and jobs will not be lost as a result.

18 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Not so fast Jeremy!Sorry you lost and I did vote for you. I did not however, vote for the budget for one of the first times in my life.School taxes to me have always been one of the best investments a community can make.Of late, however, to coin a new phrase it seems the means now supersedes the end. By that I mean,with constant lip service to our youth and their growth, there is a large gap between projections and performance by the teachers and administration.Fuel and taxes aside, I for one would gladly pay more taxes, if I were assured education and not the self-serving monetary gains of teachers and administration were the primary goal...smitty

Yes... the voters were unhappy. When the BOE gives almost a 10 % raise to the superintendent who is already making $156,000 there is an obvious lack of leadership. The rest of the world is getting 3-3.5% raises. A 3% raise for a $30K employee is $900 and we have a school board giving its highest paid employee $15K. Knock Knock... Is anybody home? A $15K raise with no incentives attached thereto? Where we have one of the highest drop out rates in the state?

I'm sorry, Jeremy - you would've been a tremendous asset to the Board. Pamela Boyle, on the other hand, won't be. It's a shame the budget was defeated, because it won't hurt the administration, it'll hurt the kids. I was not pleased to know that the budget called for an increase in administration with a decrease in programs. How can Gretzinger live with himself and his $15,000 raise knowing that the trade-off is a reduction in programs? Apparently, Gretzinger isn't interested in the students, he's only interested in his pocketbook. Though the tax levy increase was kept to a minimum, I hope the board gets the message. Let Gretzinger make his paltry $160,000 and turn down his raise - let's see how much he really cares about the students. Kingston Schools' drop-out and failure rate is way too high to justify $175,000 for the superintendent.

Sadly, jobs will be lost and fundemental programs will be obliterated. Education is usually the first thing to suffer in a budget crisis; music and the arts are the first to go when educational institutions tighten their belts.

Keep up the good work and remember that public service is the most noble endeavor when performed with honesty and integrity.

Congratulations for your effort. Be proud of your commitment. Be proud that at 20 years old, you are informed and concerned enough to be willing to volunteer your time to serve your commuity. Your time will come.

When most of us were 20, we were busy making trouble and doing some pretty stupid things. Luckily, we grew up. If someone suggested to my high school classmates that I would someday serve two terms on a school board and act as President , thery would have been accused of being delusional.

You knew this was going to be a tough race, with gas at $4 a gallon and the district asking for financial support for expensive although important projects. You learned about the issues, you spoke about those issues and you were willing to listen to opposing views. You resisted the urge to pander to the fear and distrust in the community.

A community that votes down school budgets is really sad. The school district holds the future in its hands and the act of dismissing the needs of children is very telling of the direction a community is heading. Dowmward. I hope when these poor people see homeless folks pushing shopping carts they realize that this is what they're voting to promote.

Jeremy: Congratulations on a well run campaign- Rather than summarize the excellent words and reflections of John, Dan and your many friends, please consider it a memorable experience on a very long journey called life. Stay committed-Shelly Z

I see all of the posts about the poor students and how bad it is if a community votes down a budget. Do any of those posters give a damn about the people who have no kids, or who have kids grown up and gone elsewhere, who would have to sell their house if these taxes continue to rise? Jeremy, you said with the property tax issue aside, the budget should pass. How can we put the property tax issue aside if it means I have to sell my house (in a down housing market) so this budget pass? It's like saying if McCain was a young energetic man aside, I wouldn't consider him too old to be President. Thank God the people said it's time for a reality check. As for the kids, it's about time they realize that everything they want they can't have. We are making the kids a nation of spoiled brats and soft as a marshmallow, with "time outs" and negotiating with them. Look at them on Broadway and tell me they're going in the right direction. Half of them don't know when it's cold as they walk around in shorts, T-shirts and sandals when it's 30 degrees, and can't understand why they're sick.

9:30, I speak (to an extent) 3 other languages. The 'monolinguistic' comment should be made towards those who say, don't worry about learning English. Speak your own language (and only your language), and we will accomodate you. That, by definition, is monolinguistic.

to 11:03 p.m.: what's it to you if the kids are freezing their asses off?

As far as the people who have no kids or whose kids are grown, it's everyone's responsbility to see to it that we have an educated populace There will always be losers, but somebody has to flip the burgers at McD's. But if the people who didn't have kids or whose kids are grown didn't contribute to the school taxes, then you have a pay-as-you-go system. Sound fair? Who educated your doctor? Your lawyer? Your accountant? Your plumber? Your auto mechanic? Who designed and built the bridges that you drive over? More than likely almost all of them received a public school education - and you're taking advantage of that every day. The people who work in the labs to discover new medicines and new procedures to make you live longer and healthier almost all went to public schools. So, if you don't want to pay school taxes, go live in a place like Myanmar - they don't have school taxes there. Our buildings are safe, our water is safe, and (most of) our food is safe - all because people went to public school. We all benefit from public school education.

Am I ticked off that Gretzinger gets his $15,000 raise to the detriment of the students? Absolutely. He should turn it down. There's no doubt that taxes are spiraling out of control, but a statement that implies that only people who have kids in the district should pay taxes is very short-sighted.

An additional note to your 'monolinguistic' remark, if you insist on attaching a disparaging flavor, you might be more accurate for calling me an "English-Supremacist". Until you succeed in making an alternative language the American Language, English will still be supreme in getting anywhere in this country.

Airline pilots are required to understand and speak English, regardless of what country they are from. How 'monolinguistic'!

As a former military and current corporate pilot, English is the universal language of aviation. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) adopted English as official language. Whether flying in Japan, Korea, the Philippines, or South America, the air traffic controllers spoke English over the radio.That being said, I learned at least some of the language in each country I was stationed. The people were always receptive and friendly that you took the time to learn their language and customs. I feel that the same should happen in the U.S. Immigrants coming to this country should take the time to learn our language and customs in order to be able to function in society. Imagine not being able to call 911 for emergency medical assistance?

Manners and kindness are universally accepted, and a little knowledge of the local customs and language goes a long way.